Is kavannah (intense feeling) a necessary component of prayer or the fulfillment of the mitzvot? In an attempt to answer, or at least respond to the questions, we will study two rabbinic stories which touch upon the relationship between kavannah at the fulfillment of the mitzvot.

A resident of Deerfield, Rabbi Kenneth Berger is Rabbi Emeritus of Congregation Beth Sholom in Teaneck, NJ. He has a doctorate in the history and development of Jewish liturgy, and has taught at the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York, at Spertus, and at Limmud Chicago.